Big Rig Hits Truck, Jackknives, Causes Injuries

No sooner than we find out that a semi crashed on I-264 spilling hazmat material, we get word that another tractor trailer accident happened today on I-64, reports NBC 29.  I'm not sure if the nice weather is distracting drivers but these types of accidents are too dangerous to be happening so frequently.

This time it was a tractor trailer that crashed with a pickup truck and jack knifed, blocking both of the westbound lanes of I-64 at the 121 mile marker.  One person was transferred to the University of Virginia Hospital with injuries.  Officers on the scene tell NBC29 that 120 gallons of gasoline spilled on the interstate from the tractor trailer. Clean up crews are expected to arrive on scene to clean that spill.

There are two  things that concern me  here ;  a potentially toxic gasoline spill and injuries to the people in the pick up truck.  First the spill, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration about 200 hazmat trucks a year are involved in fatal crashes and 5,000 in nonfatal crashes, that's a lot of opportunity for people to be injured by dangerous chemicals.  If you or a loved one suffers any ill effects from a hazmat incident, notify emergency personnel at once. The quicker medical and decontamination treatment can be started, the better the chances there will be no long-term effects.

As for the injuries, trucks, big rigs, semis, 18-wheelers, and tractor-trailers weigh considerably more than cars, and can therefore cause considerably more damage, and more serious personal injuries or deaths. While the average American car weighs just over 4,000 pounds, a fully loaded commercial tractor-trailer can weight up to 80,000 pounds. This means that they are harder to slow down, harder to control, and make a much bigger impact when they crash. You are more likely to become seriously injured or die in a truck-related collision just like in this case.  So please take a moment to review our in-depth library articles on truck wrecks, our blog devoted exclusively to Virginia trucking accidents and information and truck accident case results.

CA